Tonight, between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m., the NBA will announce the three All-NBA Teams, which reward each year the 15 best players of the season. For the occasion, we wanted to make our own selection within the editorial staff. Who is in the First Team? The Second and the Third? Who is left behind? Here are our votes.
Nico
First Team : Nikola Jokic – Luka Doncic – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Jayson Tatum
Second Team : Jalen Brunson – Anthony Edwards – Kevin Durant – Anthony Davis – Domantas Sabonis
Third Team : Kawhi Leonard – LeBron James – Tyrese Haliburton – Devin Booker – Stephen Curry
For the All-NBA First Team, four names are inevitable. We have the three finalists for the MVP title (Jokic, Doncic, SGA), and Giannis who released a new XXL campaign. There may be debate over number 5, particularly between Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brunson. I favored the first, for all of his work and the enormous collective record of the Celtics. Brunson thus finds himself in the second, alongside Ant-Man, KD, AD and Sabonis, the guys I put in my Top 10 MVP this season. In the All-NBA Third Team, we find Kawhi Leonard (70 games played with diabolical efficiency), LeBron James (still at the top at 75 years old), Tyrese Haliburton (MVP candidate for the first part of the season), Devin Booker (still also lethal offensively) and Stephen Curry (valorous in the Dubs’ grueling season). Are left on the side but did not deserve: Zion Williamson, Jaylen Brown, De’Aaron Fox, Paolo Banchero, Rudy Gobert…
Alex
First Team : Nikola Jokic – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Luka Doncic – Jayson Tatum – Giannis Antetokounmpo
Second Team : Jalen Brunson – Anthony Edwards – Anthony Davis – Kevin Durant – Kawhi Leonard
Third Team : LeBron James – Tyrese Haliburton – Paolo Banchero – Domantas Sabonis – Tyrese Maxey
Not so easy to pull 15 names out of the hat like that, some are easier than others. For the first five, the trio of MVP finalists make our task easy. To support them, I’m banking on the Greek Freak, monstrous ease with the Bucks and Jayson Tatum, leader of the best team in the League and author of a new full season. Only Jalen Brunson had a chance to crack the first five but Boston’s collective record made the difference. The New York leader is therefore content with the second five with Ant, Davis, KD and a radiant Kawhi Leonard on a regular basis, even if absent in the Playoffs. The last five was the most complicated because there was no room for everyone. LeBron James in Benjamin Button mode must have been like rising figures Banchero, Maxey and Haliburton. I could hardly leave Sabonis aside because he is having a historic season. No luck for Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo or even Zion Williamson, all brave but choices had to be made.
Robin
First Team : Nikola Jokic – Luka Doncic – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Jayson Tatum
Second Team : Jalen Brunson – Anthony Edwards – Kawhi Leonard – Anthony Davis – Domantas Sabonis
Third Team : LeBron James – Kevin Durant – Tyrese Haliburton – Zion Williamson – Rudy Gobert
My first two teams have nothing original so I might as well skip directly until the third. Kevin Durant and LeBron James are locks. The two grandpas put up resistance and could have scratched higher. I then like to reward the players who dominated an aspect of the game. Tyrese Haliburton is the best passer in the League, Rudy Gobert the best defender, they both managed to positively impact the results of their teams, they have their place . Finally Zion Williamson scratched the last folding seat just ahead of Paolo Banchero, Bam Adebayo and Stephen Curry. When he actually got going, the power forward was extremely impressive and without his injury, I honestly think the Pelicans would have had a shot at the Playoffs. See you next year.
Celestial
First Team : Nikola Jokic – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Luka Doncic – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Jalen Brunson
Second Team : Jayson Tatum – Anthony Edwards – Domantas Sabonis – Kevin Durant – Anthony Davis
Third Team : LeBron James – Devin Booker – Tyrese Maxey – Damian Lillard – Bam Adebayo
I would have loved to slip Rudy Gobert into the Third Team but what do you want, I am a prince of objectivity, it is well known. As for the First Team, we have a group of four who seem to be the consensus, I add Jalen Brunson who impressed me much more than Jayson Tatum on this regular. I would have liked to place a Derrick White or a Jaylen Brown to salute the Celtics season but what do you want, there are only 15 places and the competition is tough. That makes more than a quarter of my All-NBA Teams held by pivots, and you can imagine that I like it that way. There would even have been a fifth if the injuries had left him alone. Before you jump down my throat for putting Tyrese Maxey rather than Haliburton on my Third Team, well I want to say that I can’t help it if I like thrill players. Mention for the friend Domantas who joins my Second Team despite his notable absence at the All-Star Game, it was still strong not to give him his star in that one.
Julien
First Team : Luka Doncic – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Jayson Tatum – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Nikola Jokic
Second Team : Jalen Brunson – Kevin Durant – Anthony Davis – Anthony Edwards – LeBron James
Third Team : Kawhi Leonard – Domantas Sabonis – Rudy Gobert – Jaylen Brown – Stephen Curry
In my opinion, no debate possible in the First Team with these monster MVP candidates, other than a mini-argument for Brunson rather than Tatum, but which is not enough in the regular season. In the second, the monstrous level of the KD-LeBron-AD trio should not be underestimated, even if the collective results do not follow. And Anthony Edwards must be rewarded for his superb season. The real problem is in the last team. I give a logical place for the DPOY, a spot for Jaylen Brown for his loyal services in the best team in the League – again not to be underestimated – and another for Kawhi Leonard, for his defense and his crazy efficiency. Then, the regular of Domantas Sabonis is of an All-NBA level, while I refuse to trivialize a Stephen Curry with 26 points on average and 41% from far on an XXL volume of 3-points attempted. My head hurts leaving out Tyrese Haliburton, Devin Booker, Tyrese Maxey, Victor Wembanyama and even Derrick White. It’s my favorite fourth team, but you have to make choices.
Clément
First Team : Luka Doncic – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Jayson Tatum – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Nikola Jokic
Second Team : Jalen Brunson – Anthony Edwards – Kevin Durant – LeBron James – Domantas Sabonis
Third Team : Tyrese Haliburton – Stephen Curry – Devin Booker – Paolo Banchero – Anthony Davis
The First Team is a total lock on my side as none of them can be challenged over the past regular season, individually or collectively. These are the faces of the NBA today and tomorrow and we couldn’t do anything. It was from the second team that we had to start making choices, and Jalen Brunson was an obvious choice as he put New York back on the NBA map. Anthony Edwards is also in the team but not for long as he will be in the first team next year. KD and LeBron are still there with their walkers and Domantas Sabonis, despite his non-selection for the ASG (which is heresy), fully deserves his nomination here. For the rest, Tyrese Haliburton is also too hot not to be mentioned and his Playoffs prove it, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker and Anthony Davis are still exceptional. Otherwise, did you really think I wasn’t going to get a kick out of putting Paolo Banchero on? You are cute. Sorry to Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gobert or Damian Lillard but there is no All-NBA Fourth Team.
2024-05-22 19:11:32
#editorial #selections
